Category: Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence: What is it?

Artificial Intelligence, also referred to as A.I., is a growing area of the computer science industry that focuses on smart technology using data and machine learning.

Essentially, it is a smart computer or technological system that can perform the work a human can do. There are three main categories of A.I., which are:

Narrow A.I. – The system is focused on completing a single task, such as viewing a weather report. With narrow A.I., the system is unable to think on its own, which means it often lacks context and may provide a response that does not make sense. Alexa and Siri are two examples of comprehensive services made up of several narrow A.I. systems. Most A.I. systems are within this category at the moment.
General A.I. — Think of this as the next level of A.I. where the system is able to understand the context and use it to make decisions. This type of system operates like a human brain. It can learn from previous experiences and use reason to make its decision. The system also has the ability to be somewhat creative.
Super A. I. — This category is the distant future of A.I., where a system is operating on a level far superior to what any human can do. A Super A.I. can think for itself and operate without interference from a human. It can reason and make conscious decisions with or without previous data.

Applications of Artificial Intelligence

You may be using an A.I. system without even knowing it because there are several forms and applications of artificial intelligence.

For example, if you use Siri on your phone or have an Alexa system in your home, you have an A.I. personal voice assistant. Other forms and applications of A.I. include:

Translation services
Predictive systems
Marketing
Research
Awareness
Editing software
Fraud detection
Security
Online customer support

Benefits and Risks of Artificial Intelligence

With any advance in technology, there are inherent benefits and risks, and artificial intelligence is no exception. Since many A.I. systems fall within the narrow A.I. category at the moment, there are some limitations despite the benefits it offers.

Some benefits of artificial intelligence include the ability to:

Automate repetitive tasks
Perform work for extended periods of time
Be more accurate, make fewer errors
Be more productive

Some risks and disadvantages of artificial intelligence are:

Software is expensive to build
Less advanced systems lack creativity
Lost employment opportunities
The ability of the system to make its own decisions, which may not be in the best interest of the user/developer

The Future of Artificial Intelligence

The future of artificial intelligence is still unknown as companies continue to learn, enhance and improve A.I. software and other machine learning technology.

The future may not bring machines or robots to replace humans, but one thing for certain is there is more to learn about responsible use and development of artificial intelligence systems.

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